Rhonda, No Shame in her Game

Rhonda

She was not ashamed

She was a vampire, he was a zombie

At the time I met Rhonda, I was still working on Frankin Street downtown at the location of the switchboards for long distance and directory assistance services.

When there is a large group of people (mostly women) working in a close environment, things happen. Things can and do happen that shock you and sometimes numbs you to a point that nothing shocks you anymore.

Rhonda was a divorced lady that worked with me and she was very intriguing to listen to on my breaks. I was never close to her, not because of anything in particular, our paths just did not cross often due to scheduling and different interests. She truly enjoyed her life and loved to party and dance and talk about partying and dancing. I liked to listen to her stories and imagine how life would be to feel so free and happy. 

Rhonda had a free spirit and the ability to live her life unencumbered by the fear of what others thought. I was awed by that.

I had heard rumors about some of Rhonda’s escapades and her partying. There was always a lot of tongue-wagging when it came to her. I think it was exacerbated by the fact that she loved to talk about what she did and sometimes even embellished it to provide fodder for the rumor mills. From my view it seemed that she loved being the one everyone was talking about, regardless of whether it was good or bad. I actually heard one co-worker say Rhonda  was a vampire and men were her prey.

I decided that Rhonda could not possibly be as wild as others had professed. I had decided that she just liked to stir the pot and keep them yakking about her, it was an amusement for her.

Then one evening I was working on something they called the CAMA board. It was during the beginning stages of long distance calls being direct dialed by customers. Prior to the CAMA, everyone had to dial zero and get the operator to connect their long distance calls. The CAMA board came next and it allowed individuals to dial whoever they needed to and then they reached us on the CAMA board and we had to punch in the billing number. We would sit there for hours saying “Number please” and as it was given to us we would punch it in and say, “Thank You”. It was very boring but it was something that had to be done.

I was one of a handful of operators who was trained for all 3 boards, Information, CAMA and also crossed trained for the old time Long Distance Operator board (often called the cord board). Due to being cross trained to the old long distance boards, I would be sometimes pulled to go to the third floor to fill in there if they got real busy.

This particular night I was tapped on the shoulder by my supervisor and advised they needed me on the 3rd floor. So I completed the call I was on, unplugged, grabbed my purse and headed down stairs. 

Probably 95 percent of the workers used the elevators exclusively, but back then I loved the exercise of walking the stairs, so I would walk up all six flights of stairs to my main job and walk down to the 3rd if I was reassigned there. Our security people always suggested we use the elevators late at night because they felt that would be safer. I ignored that and still used the stairs.

I walked down the first flight and was thinking about a couple of things that were going on in my life at the time. I had been dating a guy who was gregarious and cute but had a bad habit of lying and he had been heavy on my mind lately. I wasn’t sure if I could get serious about someone who I could not ever trust to be telling the truth. With this on my mind, I was paying little attention to my surroundings as I rounded the bend on the next flight of stairs to see Rhonda! Someone else was there as well, at first I did not recognize the guy sitting there on the steps.

Wow, Rhonda never expected anyone to be on these stairs at 1:00am on a Wednesday night, but here I was. A man was sitting there on the stairs and Rhonda was 2 or 3 steps lower on her knees. It was Rhonda and Trevor, he was employed as a member of our janitorial crew. He was a handsome, muscular, soft spoken man who I had seen once or twice as I came and went to work. 

Rhonda did not look embarrassed and never even slowed down in the “job” she was doing at the time. Trevor looked me in the eye and he looked like a deer in the headlights, I almost felt sorry for him. Rhonda was in the 4th floor stairwell at 1:00am (on her night off) exchanging sexual favors with Trevor.

I was surprised, embarrassed, intrigued and confused by what I was seeing as I innocently traveled from one work station to another that night. It was an awkward situation for me and seemed to be for Trevor but not at all for Rhonda. As I stopped in my tracks momentarily, she never missed a stroke and she waved me on as poor Trevor sat there on the stairs like a zombie.

This was a night I never forgot. It was nearly impossible to clear that scene from my mind as I worked the rest of my shift. As I thought of this situation with Rhonda and Trevor, I suddenly realized that I was wrong when I decided the stories about Rhonda were exaggerated. It wasn’t exaggerated at all, Rhonda was as wild as anyone I have ever known. She knew what she wanted and that is what drove her actions at all times. There was no shame in her game, (I heard that phrase once and it just seems appropriate for describing Rhonda).

I saw a lot and I learned a lot while working at the telephone company, but I choose to remember this as the night I saw a zombie and a vampire in the stairwell. 

Andrea and the Boss

ANDREA  

AND THE BOSS

Eventually I was an instructor who trained the operators and service representatives at the telephone company. I also served as a facilitator when new policies or new equipment arrived. There came a time when I was preparing for a new class that was to begin on Monday. I got the lesson material and study sheets all lined up. Then I checked to be sure I had enough headsets for all of the students who would be in my class on Monday. Unfortunately I was short two headsets. I looked all over the 6th floor for two more headsets without any success. There was a long distance switchboard on the 3rd floor so I jumped on the elevator and headed down to see if I might have better luck down there. I looked in the places that I thought might hold a stray headset or two, but had no luck. Then I asked one of the secretaries (Shirley) for any suggestions she could offer. 

She gave me the key to a huge unoccupied room that had desks, old equipment of all types, room dividers, etc. She said just maybe there would be some headsets in there. She warned me to be careful, there could be rats or anything in there. That was not very comforting information, but I continued down the hallway to that storage room.

I was weary and ready to get this equipment lined up and head home. I walked to the other end of the hall and unlocked the door. I thought I heard something move in the back of the room and it frightened me a little. I turned on the first bank of lights and began to look around. I looked in the first portion of the room and moved on to the next section, flipped on the light and got the shock of my life. There stood 2 people. 

They were crouched down just barely in the light. She had only a bra on and her blouse was slipped up on one arm, while his pants were on the floor but he did have his underwear on even though they were twisted. They looked up once they realized I could see them. I was even more shocked at that point. It was our General Manager and his secretary, Andrea. Both were married, but not to each other. Both were sweaty and very red-faced. I am sure that I was red-faced as well. There was a long period of time (it seemed like hours) we just stood, saying nothing. I don’t know about them, but I did not have an idea of what I could or should say. I had found myself in a position unlike any before in my life.

Mr. Edwards was a take charge kind of person, which is good when you are the top man in the office. He said, “you did not see anything,” “You did not see me”, “You did not see her”, “You saw nothing!”

I was speechless, really I was unable to speak at all for a few minutes. He then looked right at me and he asked, in a calm yet determined voice, “Did you hear what I said?”

With that question, I bounced back to reality and replied, “That is correct, I saw nothing!” “But, can I ask both of you one question?”

Andrea then said “What do you want to know?” 

I asked, “Do you know where I can find 2 headsets? I need them for my class on Monday and Shirley at the end of the hall told me there might be some in here”

She walked about three feet over, picked up 2 headsets and handed them to me with a smile. I thanked them both and exited the room, turning the light off behind me.

For years after that, when I passed either of them in the hall I got nervous and queazy. 

About five years later I learned that Shirley had suspected they were up to something and furthermore she suspected they were up to something at that time, at that place and that is why she sent me in there. She had extra headsets in the cabinet behind her desk all along that day that she sent me into the back room hell. For me it was an experience as shocking as the day President John F. Kennedy was killed or the day of the 911 attack on the World Trade Center. Just like when people ask where were you when President Kennedy got shot or when the 911 attack was announced. If you ever asked me, “Where were you the day you saw your boss with his pants down?” I would be able to answer that question without hesitation.

As a side note, within a couple of years of that frightening event, rumors spread that Andrea and her husband were divorcing. Everyone was shocked because they all thought she had a perfect marriage. Well I guess everyone was shocked except me.

Mr. Edwards remained married. He had six children and seemed very content with his life.

I think it was one of those examples of confusion sometimes when the woman goes into this kind of behavior thinking it is true love, while the man knows what it is from the beginning. For him it was just a little fun on the side. I know that is not always the case but I bet it is at least 80% of the time.

I realize they were equal partners in the situation and I am not trying to blame him over her, they both participated. I just personally feel that most women are wired differently than men and often see true love where there is none.

I continued working there and continued seeing both Andrea and Mr. Edwards for years. Sometimes they looked happy and spoke pleasantly, other times they looked sad and troubled. I never felt comfortable around them after that and I often thought they wished I would disappear because when they saw me they thought of that day and vice versa, when I saw them I did too.

I pass no judgement on either of them. It is their lives to live as they choose. I often wanted to tell them that, but I felt that could make things even more uncomfortable so I kept those thoughts to myself.

Many years have passed since that day and I hope their lives are going well and they are alive and happy.

Meet Margaret

                                 Meet Margaret

When I was very new at the telephone company I often worked the late night shifts because I had no other choice. I really did not mind that at all, it allowed me to go to school in the day at a local university. I met some interesting people in those days and each of them taught me things about life. Some taught by example and others by words. This is the story of one of them, her name was Margaret.

Margaret  was what I would describe as old and crusty. She was past retirement age but was not financially able to retire. I am certain there was many reasons for her situation but that was not important. 

Margaret frightened me at first. She was gruff and spoke with a heavy smoker’s voice. She smoked and drank more than she should and enough that it was damaging her health. She still laughed and told jokes every time I saw her.  Late one night it had gotten slow and the calls were only coming in sporadically, Margaret began to talk. Her jokes were pretty raunchy, but I was very amused and laughed so hard when she told them. I laughed because it was funny but also I laughed because I was embarrassed. 

Even though she had experienced more than her share of heartbreak, she could still smile and see the funny things in life. One night during a slow shift,  she wanted to impart some wisdom to me about men. Basically her advice was not to trust men and to take what they give you but never give them your heart. Margaret said I have some important advice,  "You can open your legs but never open your heart!" She added, "remember those words and you will have a happy life."

I was 18, still living with my parents, working full time and going to school (at the University of South Alabama). The next morning after this sage advice from Margaret, I said to my mother, "There is an older lady at work who gave me some advice last night.." before I could finish my story, my mother said, "Do exactly what she tells you, older ladies will never steer you wrong!" I smiled and nodded, I never had the courage to tell my mother the advice Margaret had given me.

Margaret would tell of going to a bar on Halls Mill Road in Mobile, that was her place to relax and meet people. She wasn’t much of a dancer but she absolutely loved to watch others dance. She would paint the pictures in my head of bizarre behavior in the bar. At least to me it was strange. It sounded like people let loose and did whatever they chose to do regardless of who saw or what others thought. That was intriguing to me.  After a few hours and a few drinks she would go home and rest for the next shift. Work and the bar were her life. She had no children and no husband or roommate. She had very few relatives and the ones she had were not close at all. It sounded sad but it was her life and she was making the best of it.

One day Margaret called in sick and I worried the entire shift about her. The next evening she came in with a smile. She spent that evening during the slow periods, telling me all about her night that she called in sick when she was not sick at all.

Margaret said that she went to her regular bar, it was called Club Manor and was located on Halls Mill Road in Mobile, Alabama. She said it was a regular night, people coming and going for hours. Most of the people she saw that night were ones she had seen many times before. However, there was a new guy who came in and he looked so lonely. After a few minutes he sat down next to Margaret at the bar. She said he was a great conversationalist and as the night continued, he got better and better looking to her. 

Eventually he asked her if she would like him to accompany her home. She could not believe her ears. She had never had anything like this happen to her and she jumped at the opportunity to have a man in her bed. She said it had been so long and she doubted this chance would ever present itself again, so she quickly accepted his offer. They spent the night and most of the next day in bed, getting up only for moments at the time when nature called or hunger struck. She said he was the best man she had ever had in her bed. I listened to every word she spoke. I was only 18 and it was a fascinating story to me. I enjoyed hearing all of the details even though I was very embarrassed. Margaret was not embarrassed at all, she seemed excited and extremely happy. I asked her wasn’t she afraid? This man could have been a rapist or a murderer or something. She said she briefly considered those things but her gut told her different and anyway she was willing to take a chance. She declared that she was so very happy that she took that chance. I was amazed to learn that she never even asked his last name and really had no interest in knowing anything about him. He told her his name was Joe and that was enough for her. I will always remember her words, “We were like two ships passing in the night." Details did not matter that night, only two people enjoying one another with no questions asked. I will also never forget these words she spoke, "Juanita it was like going to Disneyland!" I had never been to Disneyland at the time, but I had heard it was a glorious, happy place.

Wow! I got a real education at the phone company, it is a great place for a young naive girl to go to work. This was one of many surprising incidents in the thirty-one years I worked at the telephone company.

Many years have passed and Margaret is no longer with us. I hope in her waning hours that she only thought of her wonderful night that was better than Disneyland.

I will always remember this crusty old lady who had nothing, yet she still could laugh about life and tell jokes without hesitation.